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Traveling the Lower 48 States with Streets & Trips with GPS
Tim McConnell

Traveling the Lower 48 States with Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS – Back in July 2008, 24-year-old Tim McConnell set out on a 19,000-mile journey through all 48 of the contiguous United States, visiting all of the capitals, and making new friends across the country. The idea came to McConnell while playing around with Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS Locator.

"I was trying to see what a route through all the state capitals in alphabetical order would look like; and then I switched it, optimizing for the most efficient route,” McConnell said. “All of a sudden it dawned on me—I could do this trip!"

McConnell, who has a Volkswagen Scirocco, had met other Scirocco owners across the United States through online enthusiast forums. He decided it would be a great opportunity to finally connect face-to-face with his friends who shared his passion for Sciroccos.

"I ended up staying in a hotel only three nights of the trip," McConnell said. "The rest of the time, I stayed with friends who took me to see the sights and eat local foods."

Before hitting the road, McConnell used the Microsoft Streets & Trips fuel consumption manager to estimate the total cost of gas so that he would know in advance approximately how much money he needed to make the journey. He also used the product to figure out the most efficient way to space out the gas stations he'd stop at along the way.

Throughout the trip, McConnell used the Spoken Directions feature and GPS to get where he was going. Streets & Trips also helped him out when he was lost or in a pinch.

"In New Mexico, I found myself in a very remote area where I had no Internet, low cell phone service, and almost no gas," McConnell said. "Using Streets & Trips, I was able to locate a gas station within thirteen miles from where I was, which helped save me from a potentially very bad situation."

McConnell enjoyed his trip so much that one day he'd like to do it again, but next time through 48 countries in Europe.

"It was a trip of a lifetime," McConnell said. "I will never forget the places I saw or the people I met."